Israel-Hezbollah War Live: After a year of war, Gazans wonder how to deal with tonnes of rubble
In the aftermath of the Gaza war, 11-year-old Mohammed and his father, Jihad Shamali, are gathering rubble from their destroyed two-storey home in Khan Younis. Instead of using the debris to rebuild their house, they are repurposing it to create gravestones for the war’s victims. Shamali, a former construction worker, cuts through salvaged metal while his son pounds the fallen roof chunks into gravel. The family’s work is a somber task, as they recently built a tomb for Shamali’s son, Ismail, who was killed while running household errands.
The rubble left behind by Israel’s military campaign against Hamas is a staggering 42 million tonnes, according to United Nations estimates. This amount surpasses the debris accumulated in Gaza between 2008 and the war’s start by 14 times and is five times more than the rubble left by the Battle of Mosul in Iraq. The debris continues to grow daily, and if piled up, it would fill Egypt’s Great Pyramid 11 times over.
The United Nations is collaborating with Gazan authorities to address the rubble issue. The UN-led Debris Management Working Group is planning a pilot project in Khan Younis and Deir El-Balah to begin clearing roadside debris. Alessandro Mrakic, head of the UNDP Gaza Office, acknowledges the immense challenges ahead but emphasizes the importance of starting the process now. Israel’s military, COGAT, has expressed its intention to improve waste-handling and work with the UN to expand these efforts.
The destruction in Gaza is extensive, with nearly 42,000 Palestinians killed and over 163,000 buildings damaged or flattened, according to UN satellite data. Amidst the ruins, some residents, like taxi driver Yusri Abu Shabab, have taken it upon themselves to clear enough debris to erect tents. The cost of clearing the rubble is estimated to be around $1.2 billion if the war were to stop now, and it could take up to 14 years to complete the task.